Shortly after graduation in May 2017, graduating seniors Rassmeay Morm and Timmy Eng planned a two week leisure trip to Singapore, and Thailand before spending a majority of their parent’s homeland of Cambodia. Being first-generation Cambodian-Americans, they were aware that poverty and the lack of resources were still a very prominent issue and as a result, they recognized the importance of having an impact on the children in the country.
They started a GoFundMe page in order for their friends, family and colleagues could assist them in reaching their goal although they did not have a clear direction of what to do with the monetary funds collected. After carefully collecting information and considering their options, they decided that the most effective way to allocate the funds were to purchase school and hygiene products and deliver the supplies themselves.
With only a week before their departure, Rass and Time doubled their goal and raised over $400. Tim’s grandmother, a retired French teacher in Cambodia, connected them to a poverty stricken village on the outskirts of Siem Riep. There they purchased and put together care packages for 250 grade school children from Trapeang Svay Primary School. The care packages consisted of notebooks, pens and pencils, a bar of soap, and a toothbrush/toothpaste.
Rass and Tim note that the experience was incredibly humbling and enriching experience based on the interactions with the school children who live impoverished conditions. They were especially proud that they were able to complete project on our own without any outside programs. We in the Talent Development Program are proud of them as well and their accomplishments both at URI, our home communities and internationally. Great work Rass and Tim!
For more a visual look at their experience, click here for their video.
